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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

As promised I will slowly post more pictures and stories (as time allows).They will not always be in order, but I'll try to add captions.

Tour members enjoying the piano room in the WDR building.

Our First Tour Bus (we are on our third now, but will keep it the rest of the tour).

One of the organs in the Cathedral in Cologne.The Church was started in the 1300s and not finished until the 1800's

Another Organ in the Cathedral

Locks on the wall of a bridge near the church in Cologne.Lovers buy the locks and often add their names and the date.They lock it on the fence and throw the key in the river.

Guenter our feerless leader (guide). We know now why they consider him the best in the business. His knowledge is amazing, and he takes care of every detail. Standing in front of one of our hotels, with our new bus.

Jan, you designed the Virtual Conductor exhibit with the Vienna Philharmonic? That sounds fantastic! How lucky we were to have you join us for a few days in Cologne/Bonn.

Thanks Robin! The pleasure was all mine. I'm trying to get the group a special tour of the Virtual Conductor in Vienna. In any case, it's in the House Of Music Vienna which is in spitting distance from the Stephansdom. Check it out if you get a chance and have the unique experience of the Vienna Philharmonic telling you what a lousy conductor you are, in broad Viennese (with subtitles).

The virtual conductor is pretty cool, but unfortunately there is always a crowd waiting to use it so I have never been able to try. I like the way the orchestra complains if you are too terrible at conducting. The main collection is super, with personal possessions on display from many of the famous composers. The museum is organized by periods and composers. There are quite a few interactive displays.

Again, many more pictures to follow, but a few new ones for now.First, another picture from Leipzig just because we liked this fountain...

We are in Bayreuth Germany now, home of Steingraeber & Sohne.Yet another beautiful German town filled with wonderful old homes and shops.

We stopped first at the Wagner Opera House, then on to Steingraeber & Sohne where Udo Steingraeber himself came out to meet our bus.

First we had lunch in the Biastro owned by Steingreaber (the food was wonderful), then we toured the showroom, factory, and concert hall. Udo conducted the tour entertaining everyone with his enthusiasm and knowledge.

I will only post a few pictures from Steingraeber right now because they have asked to have a quick first look before we post. I've chosen primarily outside shots and the concert hall because I know those are ok. Before you ask, no they did not limit us in any way. We were allowed to take as many pictures as we want. Which means many more will be posted as we get a chance.

In Nuremberg they have the most incredible museum, much of it housed in an 800 year old Monestary.

I've never seen so many historic pianos (and other instruments) in one place. Plus they had entire wings with religious artifacts, others with clothing, or weapons, or art, or ... You'd need two full days to see it all.

And they have a Janko piano. I've been looking for a real live Janko keyboard for 40 years. I even got to play it (when nobody from the musuem was looking :-)

I found out they had a piano in a conference room at the hotel in Nurumberg, so of course at the end of the day a group of us went up to the conference room and played piano :-)

Next day (today, Monday) we headed for Munich.

We stopped at the BMW headquarters.

First building we walked into, what did we find?A steinway Grand Piano (oh, and they had some cars too).It was funny to watch because we all immediately gravitated to the piano. I asked about playing, and got permission, even got a hardy round of applause from the car lovers in the room.

Easy to spot our group, they are the ones looking at the piano not the cars:-)I'm the guy in the orange shirt playing the piano.

And a bit of downtown Munich

Tomorrow we will walk around Munich and then head for Salzburg, Austria.

First building we walked into, what did we find?A steinway Grand Piano (oh, and they had some cars too).

They have a cooperation with Steinway Hamburg, Luxury cars (series seven), and luxury pianos. The interieur of the cars gets some black shiny Steinway polyester parts et cetera. For some additional Euros of course.

..and at the end of the cooperation, who might get the Steinway grand..?..

When being in Munich, do as the Munich people do. (No, they don't enter the Hofbrauhaus..Tourists only..) They enter, visit the Deutsches Museum, on Isar island. One of the best musical instruments departments allover the world.

(..I remember one afternoon, being allowed to play carefully, shyly, with full respect to the age of the instruments, on every harpsichord, clavichord, hammer grand et cetera.. <dream>... as times go bye.. now no longer possible in times of vandalism etc.)

Never again in my life a Mozart sonatina C major touched my heart like this old hammer grand did..

the House Of Music came through: I talked to Simon, their director, and although he's out of town he offered to have Helmut, his assistant, give you a special tour of the Virtual Conductor in the House Of Music in Vienna on Thursday - and he'll get you a special deal on the entrance fee too. Günter already has the details. Have fun!

Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 20004
Loc: New York

Loving this thread and the pictures!

Originally Posted By: Piano World

I will try to come back and add captions to everything as soon as I get a chance.....

Dunno about anyone else, but what I'd be most interested in is, who's who! Not in each and every picture, and I know you're already done it for a couple of them.....but I'd love to know more about who's who!

And BTW.....I guess since these are Steinways, and it's Hamburg.....these are all "Hamburg Steinways"!!!

I'd love to go down the whole row of them....

_________________________
"Everything I say is my opinion, including the facts." :-)